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THE SLENDER LORIS. 



The first point which strikes the eye of the observer, is the want of that long and 

 bushy tail which is possessed by the Lemurs, and which is only rudimentary in the Loris. 

 The muzzle too, although sharp and pointed, is abruptly so, whereas that of the Lemur 

 tapers gradually from the ears to the nose. The country which they inhabit is not the 

 same as that which nurtures the Lemurs, for whereas the latter animals are found 

 exclusively in Madagascar, the Loris is found in Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, and other 

 neighboring parts. 



The SLENDER LORIS is a small animal, measuring only nine inches in length, and 

 possessed of limbs so delicately slender, as to have earned for it the popular name by 

 which it is distinguished from the Slow-paced Loris. Its color is gray, with a slight 

 rusty tinge, the under portions of the body fading into white. Round the eyes, the fur 

 takes a darker hue, which is well contrasted by a white streak running along the nose. 



Small though it be, and apparently without the power to harm, it is a terrible enemy 

 to the birds and insects on which it feeds, and which it captures, " like Fabius, by delay." 



Night, when the birds are resting with their heads snugly sheltered by their soft 

 feathers, is the time when the Loris awakes from its daily slumbers, and stealthily sets 



SLENDER LORIS.-tor/a Qracllls, 



forth on its search. Its large round eyes blaze in the dusky gloom like two balls of 

 phosphorescent fire, and by the eyes alone can its presence be known. For the color of 

 its fur is such that the dark back is invisible in the obscurity, and the white breast and 

 abdomen simulate the falling of a broken moonbeam on the bark of a branch. Its 

 movements are so slow and silent, that not a sound falls on the ear to indicate the 

 presence of a living animal. 



Alas for the doomed bird that has attracted the fiery eyes of the Loris ! No Indian 

 on his war-path moves with stealthier step or more deadly purpose than the Loris on its 

 progress towards its sleeping prey. With movements as imperceptible and as silent as 

 the shadow on the dial, paw after paw is lifted from its hold, advanced a step and placed 

 again on the bough, until the destroyer stands by the side of the unconscious victim. 

 Then, the hand is raised with equal silence, until the fingers overhang the bird and nearly 

 touch it. Suddenly, the slow caution is exchanged for lightning speed, and with a move- 

 ment so rapid that the eye can hardly follow it, the bird is torn from its perch, and 

 almost before its eyes are opened from slumber, they are closed forever in death. 



